greek-saints

Biography of Greek Orthodox Saint Agnes

saint-agnesSaint Agnes was born in Salerno and came from an aristocratic family. She gathered her friends at her house and urged them to worship Christ as the only God. The Roman authorities arrested her as a sacrilege and locked her up for punishment in a brothel. The men, however, who tried to touch her, fell into a mine and looked like dead men. After this she was taken to the place of martyrdom in Rome and burned naked, probably during the reign of Diocletian (284-305). On her tomb, Constantine the Great built a small church.

Her name comes from the Latin word agnus-i which means lamb, therefore since the early Christian years she is depicted in art (paintings, hagiography, mosaics, sculptures) holding a lamb in her hands or standing next to her feet and look her in the eyes.

In those years the king of the famous empire was Diocletian. The persecutions against the Christians continued with intensity and particular ferocity. Agnes attended church since she was a child and listened carefully to the word of God and grew up with the expectation of meeting her Bridegroom Christ and obtaining heavenly goods.

She was now 12 years old and with the innocence and drive of her age she offered service to the Body of Christ, the Church. Keeping herself pure and clean, uncontaminated by all physical and mental pollution and being devoted to Divine Worship, she taught the Gospel word to various women who hurried to meet her. He urged them to believe in the true triune God and to be baptized, talking to them about the greatness of the Christian life and convincing them to follow the pure and sober life.

Legend has it, that when the prefect’s son touched her, an evil spirit appeared and strangled him. Agnes revived him after praying for his life. When the time for her execution came she was thrown into a fire, put the fire was miraculously put out immediately. She was then pierced by a sword.

She was buried by Via Nomentana, and under Constatine the Great a basilica was built there in her honour. At her funeral pagans threw stones at her coffin and her adopted sister Emerentiana was killed when she tried to guard the grave. The pagans were then killed in an earthquake. After eight days a virgin’s wreath appeared on St. Agnes’ grave.

The grave was believed to work miracles, and the empress Helena’s daughter Constantia was cured from leprosy by it.
She is the patroness of chastity and virgins, children, engaged couples, gardeners and hostels for working women. In art she is depicted with a lamb and/or a dove with a ring in its beak.

Orthodox nameday: 21/1